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Interviews with Afghan massacre witnesses, investigator

By Bill ArdolinoMarch 29, 2012 2:39 PM

Via CNN, reporter Yalda Hakim of Australia's SBS interviews Afghan witnesses and an investigator regarding the events on the night the night US Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales is believed to have killed 17 civilians in the Panjwai district of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.

Afghan civilians allege that there were multiple Americans present during the shootings, but this testimony is contradicted by Afghan soldiers who witnessed Bales leave and return to the base alone.

UPDATE: A follow-up interview with Hakim provides context around the report, including inconsistencies in witness testimony and Afghan public perception of the killings:

I have sent my $200 to the SSG Robert Bales Legal Defense Fund ... with a note expressing a wish that I could help more.

My contribution does not reflect an opinion on SSG Bales' guilt or innocence, nor the opinion that I do hold that this incident is tragic for the Afghan families involved, and for the 2.6 million Americans who have served or are now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I expect historians will point to this incident, but I am not at all certain that it will much affect the outcome of our involvement in Afghanistan. Those outcomes will be decided in the hearts and minds of Americans at home, and in Presidential politics.

I contributed because Robert Bales has served honorably in 3-1/2 tours before this incident, because Kari Bales has held the home and children together through 3-1/2 tours, and because they are deserving of my gratitude and all the support I can provide in this time of trial.